VANDALIA — Anna has plenty of capable shooting guards, and that has helped the team get a bunch of wins this season. In a Division III sectional final against Brookville on Saturday, they came up with big shots again. But it was an effort to get the ball in the paint that helped the Rockets pull away.
After a slow start, the Rockets put the ball in the paint to two post players, and it made the difference as they rallied from a six-point second-quarter deficit for a 54-41 win.
The win puts Anna (21-4) in a Division III district final on Tuesday at UD Arena against Cincinnati Purcell Marian.
After missing his first two shots of the night, 6-foot-4 power forward Griffin Doseck connected on his final six attempts for 12 points. He also proved a force on the boards, as he finished with a team-high 11 rebounds. Drew Brodman, a 6-4 senior power forward, got two key late baskets for Anna to help put the game out of reach.
Brookvillle scored early and often to get a 21-15 first-quarter lead, but things slowly got into gear for the Rockets after that.
Doseck came up with five points in the last two minutes of the second quarter to propel Anna and tie the game 26-26. Doseck led Anna in scoring in the first half with eight points while Jacob Gudorf had 11 points for Brookville.
Gudorf scored four points in the second half as Brookville had offensive problems against Anna’s defense. The Rockets’ offense had solid man-to-man pressure and flustered the Blue Devils throughout the second half.
Brookville scored four points in the third quarter and took almost six minutes to make its first basket of the second half. Doseck started off the quarter with two quick baskets, and Mason Platfoot finished off Brookville by nailing two 3-pointers to put Anna ahead 39-30 at the end of the third.
Wyatt Bensman hit a 3-pointer for Anna early in the fourth. Sophomore guard Riley Huelskamp got consecutive steals for layups later on, which gave Anna a 52-36 lead.
Brookville finished with 20 points in the final three quarters after scoring 21 in the first.
Bensman had another solid game, scoring 15 points with five rebounds. Riley Huelskamp was effective also, especially on defense as he flustered Brookville players and created turnovers.
Huelskamp finished with four points, and sophomore guard Bart Bixler scored six points, going 4-of-5 from the foul line.
Wade Turner added 13 points for the Blue Devils, which finished 15-9.
The sectional title is Anna’s first since 2014 and comes after the team had lost in sectional finals the last two seasons. The Rockets last won a district title in 2010.
Tuesday’s district final will tip off at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at UD Arena.
Purcell Marian is 19-6 and finished second in the Greater Catholic League Co-Ed Central Division. The Cavaliers beat Cincinnati Seven Hills 60-46 in a sectional final to advance.
Javonta Lyons leads Purcell Marian with an average of 13.1 points per game, while three other players average between 7.6 and 9.1. The Cavaliers average 57.2 points per game and allow an average of 48.
Bensman averages 16.5 points per game for the Rockets, while Doseck averages 10.8 points.
